Enrollment & Attendance

Owens Community College uses a "freeze" date each semester to determine your enrollment status for awarding financial aid. The courses for which you are registered on the freeze date will determine financial aid eligibility as long as the completed results from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are on file by that date.

If your completed FAFSA results are received after the freeze date, financial aid will be based on your enrollment on the date that the completed FAFSA results are received. "Completed FAFSA results" means that an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) has been calculated by the U.S. Department of Education. This EFC may change once all documentation is submitted and processed.

2017-2018 Freeze Dates

Summer 2017

June 19, 2017

Fall 2017

September 4, 2017

Spring 2018

January 22, 2018

2018-2019 Freeze Dates

Summer 2018

June 18, 2018

Fall 2018

September 10, 2018

Spring 2019

February 4, 2019

Freeze Date Examples:

Class changes made before the freeze date
If you add or drop classes before the freeze date, the amount of financial aid for which you are eligible may be affected.

Below is an example for Spring 2018 semester for a student whose completed FAFSA results are on file at the beginning of the semester. A student adding or dropping classes before the financial aid freeze date or before their completed FAFSA results are on file at Owens would have his/her financial aid awards recalculated.

Adding a class on or beforeJanuary 22, 2018

Original enrollmentFirst Day of Classes

Add 4 credit hours on or before January 22, 2018

Enrollment

8 credit hours

12 credit hours

EFC

0

0

Pell awarded

$1,480.00

$2,960.00

Tuition

$1,572.00

$2,341.00

$92.00 balance due

$619.00 refund

Class changes made after the freeze date
Financial aid will not be adjusted if classes are added or dropped after the freeze date (unless the Return of Title IV Funds policy applies). Therefore, if changes are made after January 22, 2018 and the student's completed FAFSA results are on file, the student's financial aid awards will not be recalculated. This includes adding modular classes, or any classes that start later in the semester. Therefore, if the student should add classes after January 22, 2018, the student could end up with a smaller refund or owing money to the College.

Adding a class after January 22, 2018

Original enrollmentFirst Day of Classes

Add 4 credit hours after January 22, 2018

Enrollment

8 credit hours

12 credit hours

EFC

0

0

Pell awarded

$1,480.00

$1,480.00

Tuition

$1,572.00

$2,341.00

$92.00 balance due

$861.00 balance due

This policy affects students receiving federal grants. Students receiving Federal Direct loans still must maintain at least 6 credit hours throughout the semester.

Please remember, it is in your best interest to complete all of your add/drop changes by the end of the business day on the freeze date.

The attendance requirements below must also be met.

Attendance Verification

You must have attendance verified in your classes in order to meet the eligibility requirements for the federal student aid programs.

For Federal Pell Grant and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant recipients, your award amount will be based on the courses for which you are registered on the freeze date. These grants are disbursed based on the number of credits for which attendance has been confirmed. You will not be eligible for these grants for courses which you do not attend.

For Federal SEOG, Federal Work-Study, and Owens Community College grant recipients, you must be enrolled in at least one class on the freeze date and have attendance confirmed in that class.

For Federal Direct Loan recipients, you must be enrolled in at least six credit hours on the freeze date and on the day your loan is disbursed. You also must have attendance verified for at least six credit hours.

Instructors will determine your attendance for all courses, including web courses, based on their criteria and will provide attendance information directly to the Office of Financial Aid. Once attendance has been verified, financial aid for which you are eligible will disburse. For classes that begin later in the semester, financial aid for those classes will disburse once the class has started and attendance has been confirmed.

Students who withdraw or do not complete classes

If you withdraw from all classes, stop attending all of your classes, or do not complete all modules for which you have registered, you must abide by the Return of Title IV Funds policy. As a result, you could owe an overpayment to a grant program, owe funds to the College, and may jeopardize eligibility for future financial aid. For more information regarding the Return of Title IV Funds policy, click here.

Ohio College Opportunity Grant funds will be prorated based on any changes to tuition charges. Other state grant programs may also require adjustments to the award if you drop a class.

Before withdrawing or dropping any classes that would reduce registered credit hours, you should consult with an Oserve Advocate to help determine the impact this would have on financial aid eligibility.

Modular Classes

Financial aid for modular classes that begin later in the semester will not be issued until attendance has been confirmed for those classes. If you enroll in, but do not complete all modules for which you have registered at the time those modules began, you must abide by the Return of Title IV Funds policy.

Course Requirements

You must be enrolled in courses that provide credit toward your declared financial aid eligible degree or certificate program. Courses taken as audit are not eligible.

Developmental Classes

You may take up to 30 developmental credit hours while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching this limit. These courses include, but are not limited to Chemistry 095, English 090, English 091, English 095, English 096, English 097, English 099, Math 054, Math 064, Math 074, Math 089, Math 091, Math 096, and Math 099.Developmental courses that are no longer available are still included in determining the 30 developmental credit hour limit.

Repeated Courses

You may receive financial aid for repeating courses. However, if you are retaking a previously passed course, federal financial aid can only be used for one repeat of the course even if the second attempt results in a lower grade. This rule applies even if you did not receive financial aid for the previously passed course. For a list of grades which are considered "passing", please refer to the Owens Grading System Procedures. Any courses that are repeated will be used in the calculation of your Satisfactory Academic Progress status. This rule is separate from the College's academic policy for repeating a course.

Part-time Enrollment

You may be eligible to receive financial aid even if you are enrolled less than full-time (12 credit hours). For details, refer to the enrollment requirements for each financial aid program in which you may be eligible. Award amounts may vary if you are not enrolled full-time.